Costas misfires in assigning blame in murder-suicide

[caption id="attachment_70861" align="alignright" width="300"] File: Kansas City Chiefs' Jovan Belcher (59) stands on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012.[/caption]

MISSION VIEJO, Charles Hunt: On “Sunday Night Football,” Bob Costas, in an attempt to make an editorial perspective by paraphrasing sportswriter Jason Whitlock, tried to blame Kansas City Chiefs' Jovan Belcher's murder-suicide on a handgun. Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before driving to a stadium parking lot where he committed suicide in front of two coaches and the team's general manager. Costas said that had the handgun not been available, the football player and his girlfriend would be alive today. This was a ridiculous and naive assertion by a very popular sports announcer. Costas and NBC obviously have an agenda.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Kenneth L. Zimmerman: Jovan Belcher's murder-suicide is emblematic of our society in general. We live in a violent culture where all types of problems – be they regarding relationships, the workplace or our neighborhoods – are often settled with guns instead of by talking. We are more apt to shoot first and talk later. The art of compromise, carefully listening to another person and verbally talking out problems is a dead art.

A Benghazi debacle

LAGUNA WOODS, Andy Allaire: Letter-writer Ed Pyle tell us that Sen. John McCain is a disgrace and that he needs to go because of his appearances on news shows discussing the Benghazi slaughter of four American patriots [“McCain's final disgrace,” Letters, Dec. 3]. Pyle argues McCain presses for answers to questions “that have already been answered.”

Really? Have we been told why Ambassador Susan Rice went on five different news talk shows in which she said an obscure YouTube video critical of Islam's prophet was the cause for the attack? Intelligence officials watched the attack in “real time” and have testified under oath that they knew it was not caused by a movie but was a terror attack. We have not been told who sent Rice out to blame a film. We also haven't been told why President Barack Obama went on talk shows and to the United Nations, denouncing the film even though he knew it wasn't responsible for the attacks in Benghazi.

As a veteran I, like Pyle, salute all our heroes who have served so bravely to defend this great country. But I actually want to know why we left four American heroes stranded in a hostile environment.

Bus riders targeted

PLACENTIA, Ofelia Cruz: OCTA's announcement that a fare increase will take effect in February seems ludicrous [“Bus riders will pay more in February,” News, Nov. 27]. As a child, I rode the OCTA bus with my mother, not as choice, but as a necessity to get from point A to point B. Like most of the riders, my mother could barely made ends meet, let alone afford a vehicle. So we rode the bus everywhere.

This increase will greatly affect all bus riders, but will cripple those with low incomes. It just does not seem right that even though there will be a fare increase, the crowded conditions on the bus and the wide time gaps between bus arrivals will not be changing.

OCTA should consider a different form to get the money needed to “keep the system moving,” because, sadly, the 8 percent rider decline estimated to occur after the fare rises, is coming from the low-income workers who will possibly have to walk to work now.

Our furry family members

NEWPORT BEACH, Bill Spitalnick: Although not earth-shattering newsworthy of front-page exposure, I rather liked the letter from Joe DiStefano about dealing with a pet's death [A pet's unconditional love,” Letters, Dec. 3]. One reason why it got to me is that I also had to make the hard decision to euthanize my beloved pet 10 years ago – a favorite cat named Sammy.

Another reason why the letter appealed to me was because, unlike the bulk of the letters published in this section, it completely lacked political overtones. I know that we are all affected by politics and that it is very relevant in many ways. But once in a while a nonpolitical letter is quite refreshing because it's on a personal level that we can more easily identify with.

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